The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne's gaze shifted across the room, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. "Harrison, surely you must recognize sof these faces. Back in the day, as an intern, you joined the Littleton family's R&D team to develop new products. These people were your partners and mentors." Harrison's hand, hidden under the table, clenched his shirt tightly. Ignoring Vivienne, he rasped in disbelief, "Blake, Trent, how could you do this to me?" "How much did Vivienne pay you to bear false witness against me?" Jerry cleared his throat, "These witnesses haven't spoken yet. How do you know it's perjury?" Harrison shot back, "Why else would you bring them here if not to pin the crof ingratitude on me? Mrs. Littleton, I respected your kindness toback then and didn't quarrel with you. After all these years, why can't you letgo?" Leopold, sitting among the audience, glanced at Harrison's reddened eyes. "This guy's quite the actor," he remarked.

He elbowed Thomas, "Is this what they call a 'male gold digger' on the internet?" "Clearly," was the unspoken reply.

Before Thomas could respond, a crisp female voice surprised them from behind.

Leopold turned sharply, just in tto catch a grimace of pain, "Griffin Martinez! A little heads-up next time, you scaredhalf to death!" Seeing Leopold's lips turn pale, a flicker of concern crossed Griffin's eyes. "Oh dear, I thought you knew. Are you okay? Needto check?" Leopold quickly waved her off, "No, no, I'm fine!" "Oh." Griffin looked slightly dejected, her disappointment visible.

Thomas couldn't stand it and shot his brother a look that clearly read: That's why you're single! Leopold silently protested his innocence.

Amidst their silent exchange, Griffin was back in high spirits, "This Harrison, he's the jerk you were talking about? No wonder he managed to charm Vivienne's friend; he does look pretty decent." Her excitement was palpable, much to Leopold's annoyance. "He's nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Just watch, he's going down today." Their words resonated in the small space.

Gavin, sitting not too far from them, caught every word.

His murky eyes sparked with an idea, thinking of Emrys Abernathy and others they had apprehended.

Wondering if Harrison's concoction would work, he considered the implications if Emrys and the others recanted. That could really complicate things...

If only he knew he was already a pawn being sacrificed, he'd be worrying about his own fate.

"Victoria, are you familiar with them?" Gavin fumbled with his cane's handle.

His gaze lingered on the courtroom before turning to Victoria, who was clearly bored, "When you visited Vivienne, did you manage to gather any useful information?" Victoria, yawning, showed little interest, "What could I possibly learn? Vivienne and Percival only toleratedbecause of Richard. Do you think they'd share their plans with me? They're not fools! S Her words implied Gavin was the fool for thinking otherwise.

She wondered why Vivienne bothered protecting Gavin.

Could someone be plotting against Gavin? What a delightful thought! But then, considering Percival's deep-seated hatred for Gavin, if he knew someone was after Gavin, he'd likely help them along. Protecting Gavin must serve sother purpose.

Victoria's thoughts drifted, her gaze returning to Gavin without betraying her concern for his well-being.

To her, Gavin might as well have been dead. His life or death held no interest for her.

What mattered was ensuring the Abernathy family's assets didn't fall into Madeline and her daughter's hands.

Gavin's face fluctuated between shades of anger, about to lash out, but Percival's icy stare froze him in his tracks. Feeling a chill, Gavin's grip on his cane tightened, his demeanour changing to one of fear.

Victoria raised an eyebrow. Besides the Grimshaw family, who else could instill such fear in Gavin? Her gaze followed to where Percival had been looking, but she missed seeing the person of interest.

Her curiosity piqued, she glanced back at Gavin, then noticed several researchers entering the courtroom.

The sound of metal clashing caught her attention, and she saw a man, about Gavin's age, dressed in a red vest, supported by two in unfamiliar black uniforms.

"Whitford Abernathy?!" she gasped silently.

Had Vivienne really managed to bring this notorious figure into play? "What on earth, Whitford, are you out of your mind The daughter's whispered exclamation didn't escape Gavin's ears. After yearshearing that familiar nagain made his throat tighten, "How could he possibly show up here... S It wasn't just Gavin.

Even Harrison, upon seeing the newcomer, found his breathing becoming difficult.

Bill, always the most perceptive, noticed the change in the atmosphere and guessed that this Whitford might be a figure of ssignificance. "Harrison. Do you know this man?" Harrison's gaze flickered, "How could he be here?!" Ignoring Bill's question, he muttered under his breath: "Wasn't he supposed to be gone for good? Why, how could Vivienne track him down? What in the world does this Vivienne have up her sleeve?" Down below, Madeline looked at the newcomer.

His brooding gaze, even without looking at her, sent a chill down her spine.

She rubbed her arms, her voice soft as she clung to Gavin's arm, "Gavin, who is this man? Why, do you seem to know him?"